Come and try us, Boris!
Published Date:
24 July 2008
EASTBOURNE council chiefs have invited London Mayor Boris Johnson to visit the town after he said that 'whatever happens' the resort would not be featuring in his holiday plans.
Writing in his Daily Telegraph column he dismissed popular English resorts such as Eastbourne and Bognor, and said he would be opting for a foreign holiday.
His comments came in a week when it was confirmed that holiday bookings in Eastbourne are significantly up this year as the credit crunch and pricey Euro turn people off foreign holidays.
He wrote, "Some time before the end of August I will grab a week's leave, like a half-starved sea lion snatching an airborne mackerel, and whatever happens that leave will not be taken in some boarding house in Eastbourne.
"It will not take place in Cornwall or Scotland or the Norfolk Broads. I say stuff Skegness. I say bugger Bognor.
"There will not be many UK beaches this summer where you can drink a bottle of wine in the sun and then go for an hour-long swim."
Referring to Gordon Brown's decision to holiday in Suffolk, he said he did not agree with politicians choosing to spend their breaks in Britain to make a point and said it was his 'patriotic duty to find a destination as sunny and foreign as possible'.
The Mayor has hit the headlines in recent years for criticising Liverpool and Portsmouth, and even paid a visit to Liverpool to apologise for his disparaging comments.
Eastbourne Borough Council spokesperson for tourism Councillor Steve Wallis said he would welcome the blundering Tory if he could be persuaded to visit the town.
"Holidaying in the UK is becoming increasingly popular and the fact that bookings for Eastbourne hotels are up by 66 per cent according to lastminute.com shows that opinions like those of Boris are definitely the minority and out of touch," said Cllr Wallis.
"There are plenty of reasons for Boris to visit Eastbourne, from its record sunshine statistics to its beautiful backdrop of the South Downs.
"Eastbourne is definitely seeing more visitors this summer and we have sent an invitation to Boris today inviting him down to Eastbourne to Change his View."
Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson added, "I think this is just Boris being Boris! He would be very welcome to come down here for a visit and see for himself what we have to offer."
One of the town's leading hotel groups this week confirmed the growth in business this year. Sheikh Abid Gulzar, who owns the Lion Hotels, said, "We have been seeing an increase in our business throughout the year, but particularly in the last three months."
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Last Updated:
24 July 2008 2:19 PM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Eastbourne